Understanding Each Other
by Lioness002
Summary: Claire comes home to Costa Verde to visit her mom for Spring Break. They decide to go out on the town and have some fun for old time's sake. But what happens when Claire is forced to try and understand the one person she never wanted to see again?
1. Chapter 1 : The Watch Shop

**This is my first story for Heroes ever in history. I really love the series and characters so I wanted to see if I could write for them. I just had this idea when I was watching the end of the fourth season and I wanted it to continue. I am not sure if I will continue so it is up to the fans. Soooo, I hope everyone enjoys the story and please let me know if I can actually write for Heroes, because I have no clue if I can or not. :) ****Takes place a few months after the end of season 4 and the episode, "A Brave New World." Enjoy!**

**-I Own Nothing -Lioness002**

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"Claire!" Sandra Bennet exclaimed excitedly as she hurtled open the door to the house and wrapped her arms around my neck in a spin crushing hug. I let out a chocked cough in surprise and gave her the best hug I could considering my hands were full of bags and my arms were pinned to my sides. I sighed into her hair and smiled, I had expected her to be excited to see me, but right now she was ecstatic.

"Hi mom." I wheezed patting her lightly on the shoulder. I had just gotten off of a plane and I was going to spend Spring Break at home with my mom in Costa Verde. It was the first time I had been home in almost half a year, with college and saving the world free time was in short supply.

"Oh Claire, it's so good to see you. How is college? Met any cute guys? Do you like your classes and teachers? You have to tell me everything!" She exclaimed pulling away from me with wide and exited eyes. I blinked slightly to clear my head and tried to run through all of her questions. She was so excited to see me and it really made me feel loved and wanted.

"I would _love_ to answer everything you just asked me, but can I get in the house first?" I asked hopefully with a giant smile as I batted my eyelashes at her. My mom's eyes widened in shock as she pulled away from me and put her hands on my shoulders.

"Oh, Honey I am so sorry. I was just so excited to see you I totally forgot you just got off a plane and have loads of bags. Here, I'll take those." She said taking a few bags out of my hands and walking into the house and putting them on the steps leading upstairs. I looked up the stairs and smiled, my room would be exactly the way I left it, and it would once again be my sanctuary.

"Thanks." I laughed as she and I walked into the house and closed the door. I took off my coat and shoes and looked around the house; it hadn't changed much since the last time I had been here. The only real difference was that most of the pictures of dad were gone along with the rest of his things. "Soooo, is Lyle home?" I asked as we both walked into the living room and sat down.

"No, he's at a retreat. He really wanted to see you but we had already planned this before we knew you were coming home." She said with a sad frown.

"It's alright; I'll see him the next time I come home." I said reclining into the plush couch; it felt good to be home. The smells, the feelings, the atmosphere, everything was comforting and inviting. I looked at the empty space of the den where my father's office used to be and frowned. Mom tracked my gaze and sighed. "Do you miss him?" I finally asked turning blue eyes to her with high levels of sincerity and wondering.

"Sometimes, but your father lied to us so many times, I couldn't take it anymore, divorce was the only option." She said running a hand through her sandy blonde hair and standing up to enter the kitchen.

"Not necessarily, you guys could have talked it out, gone to couples counseling!" I exclaimed seriously. Mom turned around to look at me with a raised eyebrow and a hand on her hip.

"Really Claire? Could you even _imagine_ your father in a room with a stranger talking about his feelings?" She said evenly. I opened my mouth to speak but closed it again. Dad would probably shoot the councilor in a fit of rage. "Exactly." She said walking into the kitchen and coming back with two glasses of my favorite Lemonade. I smiled when she handed me one.

"Thank you mom, you always seem to know what I feel like." I said taking a sip and relishing the tangy and sour punch the lemony drink had. "And I kind of get what you get mean about dad but I still think a divorce was is a little extreme." I said holding the glass on my knee. Mom sighed and took a sip of her Lemonade.

"It was a decision I made and I don't regret it. I love your father but the lies and secrets were too much. He was never there for any of us when we needed him." She said sternly. "Now let's stop talking about your father. I want to hear how college is." She said. "Are you being responsible?"

"Yes mom, I am being good. College is very busy, but good. As for boyfriends I am lacking in that department at the moment. My teachers are pretty good as well; they are supportive and really know what they are talking about. But you know what the one thing I miss is?" I asked with a smile.

"What?" Mom asked seriously.

"The shopping, there are no good shopping places in Virginia." I said with a mock pout. Mom quietly laughed and took my and her empty glass into the kitchen.

"Well then, looks like we are going shopping." She said holding up her car keys and smiling.

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"Oh Claire, look!" Mom exclaimed pointing to a sign in the window of a new looking building. I looked at the building out of the car window and cocked my head to the side in confusion; it was new from the last time I visited a few months ago. Mom and I had been shopping for the last three hours, she had convinced me that going shopping all around California for old time's sake would be a lot of fun, and it was, until we found the watch shop.

"It's a watch shop." I said slightly confused about mom's enthusiasm. "No one uses watches anymore, they have phones." I said still confused as mom pulled the car into a parking place and stopping the car.

"So, my watch is running slow and I love looking inside of new stores." She said stepping out of the car. I sighed and stepped out of the car as mom took my arm and pulled me toward the building. I laughed and quickly removed my arm from her grip and ran after her.

"Okay." I said with another laugh as I half walked half stumbled after my mom.

We both walked across the street in the humid spring heat to get to this new shop. The window was blank except for a professional title, "Gray Watch and Co." I shrugged and both mom and I entered the store. The door had a bell on it so when it opened it let out a soft ring. When we first entered we saw clocks, watches, and more clocks. Some of the pieces were actually very beautiful but looked very expensive. I pursed my lips and picked up a medium sized mantle clock. "Whoever restored these has too much time on their hands." I thought putting the clock back down. As I looked through more of the shelves I found my mom looking at an antique brass clock.

"It's so old looking." I mumbled as I looked around the building and saw light blue walls with shelves pushed against the walls forming a pathway somewhere.

"Yeah, well I think it would look nice in the house." Mom said with a small smile as she held it up to the light. I rolled my eyes at her, sometimes she needed to understand that analog was out and digital was in. "Lets see if we can find the owner." She said handing me the clock. It was heavier than I expected so when she handed it to me I almost dropped it.

"Wow." I mumbled resituating it in my arms as I followed mom down the isles.

"Excuse me? Is anyone here?" Mom called looking around isles and shelves of clocks and watches.

"Back here!" A voice called from a room around the corner.

"Right. Sir, I wanted to ask about this clock, its-" Mom stopped talking suddenly as she stopped walking and stood stalk still. I hadn't noticed so I bumped into her back, I looked up at her and I raised an eyebrow in confusion as I came around to see her face. Her face was blank of life and happiness, all I saw was small amounts of fear and large amounts of fury all at the same time.

"Mom?" I asked walking in front of her to see what had caused her to freeze. I entered the room and felt my heart clench in my chest as I looked at the figure sitting at the desk fixing an old pocket watch. My fingers went numb and I felt the heavy clock slip from my grasp and crash to the floor with a loud crack as glass shattered and metal dented.

"Sylar." I hissed in shock and fear as I locked eyes onto the most evil man on the planet. He turned his brown eyes to me in confusion before his face lit up with understanding and recognition. He slowly stood up from his seat with a calculating look and a slight tilt to his head as he looked me up and down. I quickly scooted in front of my mom to protect her; at least I could do that for her. I glared at Sylar and held my breath as he took a small step toward us.

"Hello Claire."

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Haha, cliff-hanger! Okay, so that's the first chapter, what does everyone think? Should I continue or is this a lost cause? I'm not sure if this will be a long or short piece, but the updates will be slow unless I have a group of fans desperately wanting me to continue. So thank you so much everyone for reading and please, please, please leave a review! It would make my day! :) Thanks!

-Lioness002


	2. Chapter 2 : Finding Out the Truth

**Well, it's been a while hasn't it? I am really sorry about that everyone! I am here apologizing from the deepest depths of my heart! Writers block is so terrible, you have no idea unless you are a writer yourself. So, last chapter we ended with Claire seeing Sylar in the watch shop, but the real question is what will happen now? So, I hope everyone will enjoy and please leave me a review when you are done reading. Thanks! :)**** - I Own Nothing -Lioness002**

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"Oh God, not again." Mom whispered in absolute horror as she regained her voice.

"Mom, run!" I hissed pushing her back so she stumbled out of the room just as Sylar lunged forward and wrapped strong arms around my waist. I squirmed, kicked and scratched at him as I desperately tried to get away, but he kept a firm hold on me.

"Ah, ah, ah." He whispered into my ear which caused me to squirm and try to pull out of his grip even more. I hissed at his close proximity and I pushed my elbow into his stomach with as much force as I could muster. Sylar let out a small growl of pain as his grip loosen just enough for me to pull away. I bolted forward, jumped over the forgotten clock and ran for the door. But before I could even scramble through the thresh hold, I felt steely fingers wrap around my wrist and pull me backwards. "You aren't going anywhere; you're staying here with me." Sylar murmured quietly against my ear. I could feel his breath and lips on me, I could smell his unique scent, and I could feel his strong body holding me close. If he were any other man, this would be okay with me, but since he had ruined my life and killed countless innocent people, I felt sick.

"Claire!" My mom screamed wide eyed as she scrambled in her purse and pulled out a gun. I heard Sylar sigh and I could feel him shake his head.

"Mom, run. I'll be fine, just go." I whispered urging her to leave while she still could.

"No." My mom said defiantly holding to gun up and flicking the safety off.

"Really? Do you think that will have _any_ affect on me? I heal, remember? I got that nifty power from your daughter here." Sylar sneered as he motioned towards me as if she didn't know who I was. Mom's mouth twisted into a scowl of absolute furry at the mention of Sylar hurting me. I shuddered and clenched my fists to keep myself under control. He had ruined my life by doing that, I had lost my sensation and I had lost myself in the process. I had began to think that I really was some sort of monster or freak, more so than ever before.

"Maybe not, but it will still hurt." She hissed holding the gun steadily as she pointed it at him. I gulped and tried to wiggle out of his grip but it was no use, he had me pinned in a way that made it impossible for me to get free myself. "Now take your filthy and murderous hands off of my daughter." She said fearlessly as she pointed the gun at his head. Sylar's eyes glinted in the low light as he stared at my mother before he began to laugh.

"Fine," he sighed is boredom. "You Bennet's are always so quick to make assumptions about me and everyone else in the world that is..._special_." To me and my mother's absolute amazement, Sylar released me. I felt air and life rush back into my limbs as my muscles clenched and unclenched now that they weren't being constricted. I froze and tilted my head up slightly to look at him in confusion. _Was this some kind of sick joke? Was he playing with us now? _Sylar looked down at me for a few seconds, his eyes clouding with an emotion I had never seen there before, before he took a few steps away from me, smirked and sat down on the edge of his desk. "Don't you talk to Peter anymore?" He asked as I took a tentative step back and then another as I stood in front of my mother and pushed her back. "We're BFF's now." He said cheekily as he tilted his head to the side.

"Well that's a lie if I've ever heard one." I hissed. "Peter would never be your friend, not after everything you have done to him and his family."

"Oh Claire, you wound me." He said placing a hand over his heart. I scoffed and rolled my eyes, like he actually had a heart to be wounded. "Didn't you hear about what happened to me?" Sylar asked narrowing his eyes at something or someone unseen as he clenched the side of his desk tightly.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I hissed pushing my mother out the door and quickly following after her. "Now leave us alone." I yelled over my shoulder as Sylar walked out of his office and leaned against the doorway and watched us run out of the store. He took a deep breath and shook his head and he went back into his office and began to work on the clock he had been working on earlier.

"She'll be back." He mumbled putting on his glasses and focusing in on his task once again.

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The second mom and I got home we slammed the door behind us and deadlocked it just to be safe. We both stood there with our backs pressed to the door in absolute shock. Never in a million years would I have expected to see Sylar again, he had already gotten my power, so there was no reason for him to even try to find me. I mean sure, we walked into his store…wait! Was it even his store? Had he killed someone to get in there? He didn't seem like the type of person to help others, let alone fix small and fragile things that are so complex. He is a monster with only two talents, killing and destroying lives.

"What just happened?" I asked in amazement as I placed my hand onto my forehead. I could almost feel the tingling sensation of Sylar cutting open my head and stealing my power, it was sickening and it made me feel dirty. I could still even feel where he had been holding me, where his breath had been, I could smell his scent. I wanted nothing more than to run upstairs and scrub my skin away until I felt clean, but mom kept me rooted to my spot. I needed to make sure she was alright, with this amount of stress I had to make sure it would not affect her memory negatively.

"I have no idea." Mom mumbled after what felt like minutes of silence. I stepped away from the door and drew in a deep breath, my mind was whirling. Why had Sylar said him and Peter were best friends? Peter wouldn't be friends with him…right? How could Peter forgive him for killing and impersonating Nathan? How could Peter forgive him for killing so many people? Peter is too emotionally attached and cares too much about people to forget about all of the evil things Sylar has done…right? Well, I guess there is only one way to be sure, I have to call Peter. "Are you alright Claire?" My mom whispered turning her head enough to look at me.

I gulped and nodded. "Yeah, just a bit shaken up." I murmured as I stepped away from the door and stumbled my way into the kitchen. I sighed and pulled open the refrigerator to search for a bottle of water in hopes it would ease my headache. I reached inside and pulled out the frosty bottle and twisted off the plastic lid. I took a large sip and wiped my mouth before turning to look for my mom. I saw her sitting in the living room with Mr. Muggles clutched protectively to her chest. I bit my lip and slowly made my way out of the kitchen after closing the refrigerator door with a bit of a push. I found it hard to make my way into the living room because my body felt heavy, waterlogged almost, it must have been the stress of seeing Sylar again.

"Why would that-that Sylar person be working in a watch shop?" Mother stuttered.

"I have no idea." I whispered running my hands through my hair.

"Do you think he killed the original owner?" Mom exclaimed worriedly as her eyes widened in fear and she looked over to me.

"Maybe…maybe not. It all depends on what he's after." I said sighing as I collapsed back against the couch in front of her. "Can we not talk about the specifics? I really want to forget this ever happened."

"Oh, of course Claire!" Mom said nodding her head and letting herself relax slightly.

After a few moments of silence I looked at my mother to see that her hands were clasped tightly together in her lap and her lips were pulled into a tight line. "Mom, what is it?" I asked worriedly.

"Just thinking." She sighed rubbing her forehead in thought and closing her eyes. "I was thinking about how I may not be able to protect you if Sylar comes here looking for you."

"Mom, he won't, he already has my power." I said standing up and coming to kneel in front of her. I gently reached up and pulled her hands away from her face and held them comfortingly in my hands. "He used me and tossed me like every other person he has ever stolen a power from. That means I'm safe, you have nothing to worry about." I said trying to give her a reassuring smile.

"But Claire-"

"Mom, what else could he want from me? Just relax. If it makes you feel better we can stay in a hotel tonight." I suggested calmly.

"No…no, you're right Claire, I'm overreacting. I just need to calm my nerves." She said standing up and heading for the stairs. "I'm going to take a soothing bath, but before I go, do you need anything?"

"No." I said shaking my head and smiling. "I'm fine, you go and relax."

"Right." She said running her hand through her curly hair and hurrying up the stairs and into her room.

The second I heard the bath water begin to run I jumped up and ran to my room. I closed my door and quickly changed into my pajamas. Surprisingly enough it was already past eight at night, the day had just flown by. Once I was ready for bed I got myself comfortable and grabbed my cell phone. I quickly turned on my phone and scrolled through my contacts until I found Peter's number. I pressed dial and pressed the phone to my ear waiting. After a few seconds Peter picked up.

"Hello?" He asked curiously.

"Hey Peter, it's Claire." I said staring at my ceiling fan.

"Wow, Claire? What a nice surprise! How've you been?" Peter asked warmly from the other line as I uneasily fiddled with my comfortable and familiar bed sheets. I bit my lip and held my breath, how was I supposed to do this? What was I supposed to say? "Claire?"

"Oh, sorry." I rushed as he shook me from my thoughts. "I've been good; I'm on Spring Break so I'm back at home with my mom." I said making small talk.

"Well that's great." He said before I heard murmuring in the background. Peter covered the receiver, said a few things and then returned to the conversation. "Now Claire, I don't mean to sound rude, but is there a reason you called me out of the blue?" Peter asked getting the small talk out of the way and getting right to the point. _He must be busy. _I mused.

"Well…yes. I had an interesting experience today and I was wondering if you could clear some things up for me."

"Are you alright?" He asked sounding worried all of a sudden.

"Peter, come on, I can heal, remember?"

"Just because you can heal doesn't mean you are alright." Peter said seriously. "Now tell me what's going on."

"Okay. Today my mom and I were out shopping and we came across a new shop. We went inside and looked around until we needed to find the owner. Well, we went to the back and found…." I stopped and sighed, was I overreacting to this? No, I needed to find out the truth.

"And found…?" Peter repeated urging me to continue.

"We found Sylar."

"Sylar?" Peter asked surprised. I nodded to myself even thought I knew he couldn't see it. Peter sounded surprised, but to my amazement he didn't sound alarmed.

"Yeah, and then he said something about you and him being friends. That's a total lie…right?" I asked.

Peter was quiet for a few moments before he chuckled. My mouth opened in surprise and I was shocked into silence. "No, actually." Peter said. "Sylar and I are actually pretty good friends. He's not too bad of a guy now, he's changed."

"And when did this happen?" I asked flabbergasted.

"Oh…right before the Samuel incident I would have to say."

"How?" I asked not trusting myself to say any more.

"Well, let's just say that thanks to Matt we had some time together to talk out our issues."

"Are you serious? Sylar wasn't lying?"

"Nope. He was telling the truth. And don't worry, he won't hurt you or anyone you know Claire. He's given up on the whole, _'I'm going to cut your head open to get your powers'_ thing." Peter said chuckling. "When you get to know him he is actually kind of reserved, smart…and lonely. I think all he wants to do is move on from the past and move towards a brighter future."

"Oh." I said dumbly as I closed my eyes in disbelief. _Well this is a shock._

"Did I answer all of your questions Claire? Because I have to go, my work break is over."

"Oh, yeah, no problem." I said. "Thanks for talking to me."

"Anything for you. Now just do me a few favors."

"And what would these so called favors be?" I asked curiously.

"One: Stay in School. Two: Be good to your friends and family. Three: Don't do drugs."

I giggled and readjusted my phone. "Okay." I smiled cheekily. "Anything else?"

"Yes actually. Four: The next time you see Sylar, give him a chance. He isn't as bad as he seems. Now, can you do that?"

I bit my lip rubbed my knee with my hand. _Could I? Could I trust the man that cut open my head? Scared and almost killed my mother? Hurt my father? Surprisingly, yes. I feel like I can give him another chance. I mean, I won't be all rainbows and sunshine, but I will hear him out. _"Yes." I murmured. "Yes, I think I can."

"Good. Now, I'll talk to you later Claire. Take care." He said before ending the call and leaving me with my thoughts. I sighed, got up, turned off the light and then got into bed.

I laid in the dark under my covers staring at my ceiling and contemplating everything that had happened to me today, who I had seen, and what I had learned for Peter. Peter had said Sylar and him were actually okay now, that they were actually somewhat friends. To say I was shocked would be an understatement, but if Peter really said that they were friends, then was Sylar really all that bad? If Peter could become friends with the man that killed and impersonated his brother, then Sylar must have really changed. Peter had said something about them spending some time together and that they had worked out their issues. He had also said something about it having to do with Matt Parkman, but he was a bit cagey on the specifics. Now that I had talked to Peter and found out that Sylar was actually telling the truth, I wanted to know more.

I heard the downstairs TV flip off and my mothers soft footsteps as she made her way up the slightly creaking steps. I quickly shut my eyes and pretended to be asleep as mom poked her head inside my room to check on me.

"'Night Claire." She whispered as she closed the door again and walked across the hall to go to bed.

I heard her bedroom door shut and then I waited another ten minutes before I quietly began to get out of bed. I turned on my bedside table lamp and jumped out of bed as I grabbed an arm full of stuffed animals and threw them on my bed. I then quickly stripped out of my pajamas and pulled on a pair of skinny jeans, a pale blue camisole, a black hoodie, and a pair of blue high-top Converse. Once I was dressed I quickly tiptoed into my adjoining bathroom and ran a brush through my hair a few times until it was smooth and sleek. I sighed, washed my face of sleep, dried it off, applied a light amount of make-up and exited the bathroom. My fingers brushed down on the light switch and the bathroom lights flicked off.

I stopped suddenly and pursed my lips. _Why did I just pretty myself up? I'm leaving to get answers, not go on a date. _I thought curiously. _I'm just on autopilot, that's all._ I thought trying to sooth my mind and nerves. I walked back into my room and arranged my bears to look like my body. Once that was done I pulled my covers over my mound of stuffed animals and turned off the light. I took in a deep breath and zipped up my hoodie as I opened up my window.

The cool night breeze wrapped around me as I stepped out of my window and climbed into the tree. I grunted from the effort and gently climbed down until I was a few feet from the ground. Once there I jumped down and landed on the slightly damp grass with an _oof_. I stood up and brushed my hands off before pulling up my hood and running down the street towards town.

It's about time I got the facts straight. I need to know the details, the truth. Time for me to pay a visit to the one and only Sylar.

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**Wow! And there is chapter two! What do you all think will happen? Will Claire give Sylar a chance? Will she find out some more about our favorite villain turned good? Stay tuned to find out! On another note I can't believe this turned out so long! I was only planning on it being around 4 pages and it turned into 7. Haha, I really have an issue with writing long chapters. Well, I hope this long chapter can pay for the long wait all of you have had. Like I said, I had some major writers block and I just couldn't knock this story out. But finally today I had some inspiration and I just wrote. This chapter is the fruits of my labor. Haha. :) So, thank you everyone for reading and please tell me how I did! Thanks! Please review! -Lioness002**


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